Colorado River Headwaters Dry Up as Lake Mead Falls to 28% and Powell to 24%
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · Jun 25
Colorado River Headwaters Dry Up as Lake Mead Falls to 28% and Powell to 24%
3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Jun 25
Summary
Lake Mead is 28% full and Lake Powell 24% as an exceptionally warm, nearly snowless year dries out the Colorado River’s Rocky Mountain headwaters and pushes flows toward one of their lowest levels on record.
Since 2000, the river’s flow has averaged 21% below the last century, and since 2020 it has shrunk about 32%, with scientists tying the worsening decline to human-caused warming, earlier snowmelt and storms shifting away from the Southwest.
Colorado ranchers and farmers are already leaving fields fallow, selling cattle and losing income; some growers are receiving only half their usual water, and even holders of water rights dating to the 1880s face cuts.
The Trump administration is releasing extra upstream water to keep Glen Canyon Dam generating power, while the seven basin states remain deadlocked over deeper reductions and federal officials prepare their own cutback plan.
About 35 million people and 5 million acres of farmland depend on the river, and experts say the basin must permanently adapt through major conservation, crop changes and likely long-term reductions in agricultural water use.
With reservoirs nearly empty, must the Southwest sacrifice its farms to save its cities?
Is a century-old water pact pushing 35 million people toward a catastrophic water shortage?
When seven states can't agree on water cuts, who decides which taps run dry first?
Colorado River Crisis 2026: Historic Low Snowpack Triggers Water and Power Emergency Across the Southwest
Overview
In June 2026, the Colorado River system faces a severe crisis driven by a poor mountain snow season across the Western United States. This disappointing snowpack led to drastically limited spring runoff, which in turn reduced the water flowing into the Colorado River and its major reservoirs, including Lake Mead. As a result, the entire river system is left persistently vulnerable, with profound consequences for water supply and energy generation. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, federal authorities have issued an urgent call for action to address these escalating challenges and safeguard the region’s future.